Lochaber Hall, London, 22 September 2018

Lochaber Hall in Hither Green has had a make-over; a new floor and removal of a low false ceiling to reveal a greater window area above the main entrance that allows more natural light to flood the room. All in all, improvements conducing to good life drawing.

This 3-hour session opened with seven poses of 5-minutes each, followed by a single pose of 20-minutes. I hadn’t reckoned on this being the first chilly day of autumn. Not a problem for the 5-minuters, but I felt the bite of bitter cold whilst standing for 20.

The remainder of the session would be occupied by one 2-hour pose, split into halves of an hour each. I accepted the offer to recline, and even more gratefully accepted the warm air blowing from heaters that were switched on at either end of my twisted form.

Before the interval for tea, masking tape was placed all about me to help me get back exactly into position. I’m sure this wasn’t quite achieved but, despite me asking twice, the artists didn’t seem fiercely concerned. They refocused and drew me very well.